Another day, more speculation about NaLyssa Smith’s future in Indy. Currently playing in China with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, the Fever player’s success overseas has gained fan attention, with her W team also posting about it on their socials. Whereas some take it as promoting Smith before trading her away, others have made it clear they don’t want the Fever forward by Caitlin Clark’s side anymore.

Now, Smith’s latest Instagram story has fueled even more speculation about her future. “Life is all about knowin yo worth , don’t stay nowhere u not wanted n appreciated” the 24-year-old wrote, a screenshot of which was later shared on X by Ken Swift but has now been deleted, because it was reportedly not related to basketball.

Swift revealed in a later post that her brother had clarified the story as not being sport-related. When a fan posted, “She loves attention just like her girlfriend 🙄” NaLyssa Smith’s brother Rodney replied to them, “It’s not even basketball related, relax”.

The only major thing fans know about her personal life is Smith’s relationship with Connecticut Sun player Dijonai Carrington, who herself has a history with CC. Remember the first game of the playoffs when Carrington poked the Indiana star in the sky? Some thought it was accidental, some believed it was intentional, and the Fever fanbase was never the same. Might be another reason for the tension between NaLyssa Smith and Indy fans.

While it’s not clear what her Instagram story is about, taking to the comments, fans revealed exactly what they think of Clark’s teammate.

Questions of loyalty arise as NaLyssa Smith posts another cryptic message

It’s been a trend with NaLyssa Smith and Indiana Fever fans, both poking each other on social media, as if to get a rise out of the other. It’s not the whole fanbase that is against the former Baylor Bears player, and when some support her, Smith usually responds in kind. Which in turn ignites the rest of the Fever basketball community.

On the now-deleted post from Ken Swift, fans had written more of the same as before – either the Fever can trade her to another WNBA team or let her keep playing in China. But Indiana is not an option for them.

“Just let her be gone..” one fan wrote, while another said, “So unprofessional! Keep it between you and the team. If the team wants u thats good. Why these professional athletes get so triggered from fans lol.”

“Hopefully it means she’s gone,” wrote another. “She might have found out she was not protected,” was one response. The Golden State Valkyries’ draft date is almost here and while an earlier post from the Fever’s Instagram revealed she might have been protected, now there’s no surety as that post was also deleted.

Smith’s talent, although her consistency was spotty in 2024, would make her an obvious choice to keep in Indiana for many. But the tension and drama of personal feelings could prove otherwise. While Smith said during Fever exit interviews, “I feel like I didn’t get to do as much as I wanted to do. I didn’t get to contribute as much as I want to contribute,” where the opportunity to do that next comes is unclear.

Fans are certainly making that choice easy for her, “Say bye bye, honestly even without the drama I still was saying she doesn’t fit with our system. She would thrive on a tanking team tho”. Another said, “I think she’s made it clear over the past few months she wants to leave the Fever and the feeling now is apparently mutual.”

Now if the Fever truly do protect her, it might be another season of a tense relationship with fans but perhaps a better year than 2024 on the court. And if not Indy, will the Valkyries snatch her up?